Sometimes, luck happens to smile on the right people.
One of the reported winners in Thursday night's $564 million Powerball drawing is a 26-year-old mother of four who quit her jobs at Walmart and McDonald's to care for her children, one of whom has cerebral palsy, according to WECT, a North Carolina NBC affiliate.
Marie Holmes, of Brunswick County, North Carolina, came forward on Thursday with what looks to be a winning ticket matching the Powerball numbers (11, 13, 25, 39, 54 and 19), bagging her one-third of the massive jackpot.
NEW: A look at what appears to be winning #Powerball ticket sold in #nc! Worth $188 million! http://t.co/rsLrEKIDnX pic.twitter.com/2W40pzXfn0— Jon Evans (@JonEvansWECT) February 12, 2015
The two other winning tickets were sold in Puerto Rico and Texas. All remain "pending" on the Powerball's website, and so Holmes' ticket has yet to be confirmed as a winner.
"I wouldn't have none of it if it wasn't for God," Holmes said in a TV interview, adding that she plans to put the money toward a college fund for her kids and to her church. "I'm thankful that I can bless my kids with something that I didn't have."
"I've been struggling since I had them but I wouldn't trade nothing because they're a blessing," Holmes added. "I don't have to worry about the word struggle no more or neither do they. [...] I'm ready to embrace the change. I'm very grateful for what's about to happen for my family."
Holmes said she plans to disappear for some time to avoid the potential pitfalls that have befallen many lottery winners before her after consulting with lawyers and financial consultants in nearby Raleigh.
Asked if she would be buying a car or a house, Holmes said she probably would -- but stressed the money was going straight to securing a future for her children.
"This is all for them," said Holmes. "Everything is all for them."
The $188 million jackpot ticket (after the split) was the fourth for North Carolina and the largest in the state's history, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.
The other winners have yet to step forward.
Watch Marie Holmes's interview with WECT